Whisky and Wagyu: matching Japanese whisky with food

Whisky in general isn’t usually seen on drinks flights in restaurants – wine, beer and cocktails tend to hog the limelight. But David believes it’s a very underrated spirit, especially when it comes to food matching. ‘Whisky has the robustness and body that can match up to fried foods in a way beer and certainly wine simply can’t,’ he says. ‘A whisky serve is also very versatile; if you’ve got the right flavours to match a dish but they are coming on a little too strong, you can just add water or soda to make a highball.’

The process used to match whiskies to the dishes on Tonkotsu’s menu is similar to what a wine sommelier would do. The terroir is just as important, and it was something David kept in mind when choosing the most suitable Nikka whiskies. ‘Expressions from a coastal region like the islands of Scotland or the coast of Hokkaido tend to bring with them the vigorous, salty elements of their home,’ he tells us. ‘They therefore pair very well with fish and sushi in particular. I often look to pick out distinct tastes and aromas from a whisky and think how those elements work with food. For example, a whisky that’s particularly nutty I will try and pair with something earthy like mushrooms. If a whisky has a strong orchard fruit character, then I’ll match it with pork.’

The night at Selfridges sees six different dishes paired with six different whiskies, but David’s favourite pairing is the okonomiyaki with a Yamazaki 18-Year-Old. ‘Okonomiyaki is cabbage tossed in batter with prawns, fried and steamed with pork belly then finished with Tonkatsu sauce, kewpie mayonnaise and dried bonito flakes,’ he says. ‘It’s fishy, salty, sweet and savoury. The Yamazaki 18 is a great sherried beast with notes of salty pickled plums and prunes to match the Tonkatsu sauce, orchard fruit to match the pork belly, sherry to match the prawns and enough weight and heft to make the whole thing hang together. Ridiculously delicious.’